Visit to Clef des Champs in Val-David
By Mélanie Paquet, naturopath
819.230.4650
For several years, I have been interested in the field of health, and more particularly in herbal medicine. It’s incredible to see the power of plants on the human body. I also find it important to encourage local companies that offer us quality products.
La Clef des Champs is located in Val-David, less than two hours drive from Gatineau, and overlooks an incredible public garden of medicinal plants. The dream activity to spend a few hours with the children in a landscape that offers as much to see, to smell, as to taste the preciousness of summer. Quickly, add this visit to your schedule!
You will have access to the site every day from July 16 to August 21, 2016 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for a small fee. Arrive early for a guided tour, otherwise you can use audio guides or wander alone, at your own pace. There is, however, one caveat: the beauty of Clef des Champs is contagious; you might find yourself, moved by a color, writing a poem on flower petals or taking a photo of your children in front of the place's ponies-mascots: Azote and Achille.
In my role as a naturopath, I use, consume and recommend medicinal plants to my clients, so imagine meeting them in their natural habitat? It’s a real thrill, and especially to find them in impressive quantity and variety! For example, I was very happy to be able to taste fresh lemon balm leaves; they tasted lemony and delicious. My favorite in terms of perfumes goes to the meadowsweet to which the bees were courting ardently under the sun.
Each plant was well identified with its medicinal properties. In addition, I noticed that certain herbs and flowers had special needs and were found in greenhouses, under plastic, in order to have a better chance of survival. Moreover, employees and gardeners were busy maintaining the terraced gardens and giving explanations to visitors who visited the site.
If magic interests you with its old grimoires and strange potions, go to Witches Garden, especially if you are accompanied by budding little Harry Potters. There we find plants linked to ancient witchcraft, and their stories are well explained in a setting that transports us elsewhere.
Finally, I stopped at the store and Health bar Chardon Marie which serves as a picnic and rest area for visitors and where you can purchase the full range of their products as well as several books on herbalism. Among their choices of succulent herbal teas and teas, I took the opportunity to taste an iced chai latte... it was a great reward!
Lovely end-of-summer walk, and don’t forget to stock up on herbal teas, beauty and poetry to face the coming autumn.
Mélanie Paquet, naturopath
819.230.4650